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I don’t know about those noninvasive mthods. From the publishing date of the articles they seem passé. But in a recent article on SmartPlant (By Janet Fang | July 28, 2011, 6:20 PM PDT) a new system using an iPhone-4 camera is discussed. This is how it works: A 100-nanometer (1/10,000,000 meter) wide set of sensors are injected under the skin – like tattoo ink, but with no visible mark. The polymer nanodroplets also consist of a fluorescent dye. Once implanted, the specialized sensor molecules will bind exclusively to sodium, glucose, or some other specific blood content. The presence of the target triggers an ion release, which manifests as a change in florescence. The more target molecules there are in the patient’s body, the more the molecules will bind to the sensors, the more the fluorescence changes. A customized iPhone attachment uses the camera to read the shift in color and output data. A battery-powered blue LED light causes the tattoos to fluoresce, while a plastic ring around the lens blocks out all light except light emitted by the tattoo.

The software uses built-in RGB filters to process the light reflected off the sensors.Red shines well through skin. Pictured, how readings of blood concentration show up, with different colors indicating different sodium levels.

As of now, the data collected with the iPhone still requires a computer to process, but Northeastern’s Matt Dubach says using the iPhone to do all the work is not far off, and that an app is likely on the way. . “I’m holding out for the iPhone 5,” he says. The higher-resolution camera provides more data for analysis.

Imagine no more finger sticks or anything stuck into you. I look forward to the future.

The concept has been around for decades, the reality has never quite worked out. There are several that I have read about over the last few years, the glucowatch, a tattoo, something that works on your ear lobe, a ring type of thing plus others. Who knows how it will go, I;m sure eventually somebody will crack it and get the accuracy and cost right. I will say that I;m wearing a Dexcom continuous glucose monitor on my arm right now and although it's not too bad comfort wise, the accuracy leaves a lot to be desired. At times it reads 50-60 points off what my meter says and mostly it's 20-30 point off. I can get one for free right now which is a great deal but I'm considering not doing it because it really isn't that great, I find my regular finger sticks to be more convenient, easier and more accurate.

I'm hoping they do figure it out. I'm allergic to the nickle (metal) that's in the lancet, and every time I poke myself I get a small blister. I always know where I've been poked, and I'm past tired of getting them already. I've been diagnosed for less than 2 months.